Just when it looked like The Hangover and Up had a nice strangle hold over the box office, we have two new releases this weekend with the potential of blowing the past box office hits away. But wait one minute, before we draw any conclusions let’s take a further look at the competition.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 starring heavyweights Denzel Washington and John Travolta is your hostage-thriller. Travolta plays the psychopath that takes over a subway while Washington plays the unlikely hero. These two are very profitable actors who can easily draw an audience from the mention of their names. But there’s simply something about the film that doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t know if it were the commercials and trailers or the premise? Something is turning my head away from Pelham, and like I learned last weekend with Land of the Lost… maybe there are more people in America with the same exact thought.

The other new release of the weekend is Eddie Murphy’s family-comedy titled Imagine That. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little bit comedy, and a little bit father-daughter drama. The problem with this release is that other family films like Pixar’s Up and Night at the Museum are still out. Will this be another Doctor Dolittle-like success for Eddie Murphy? I doubt it.

Also, on Saturday there’s a sneak preview in only 800 theaters of the film The Proposal that doesn’t receive a wide release until next weekend. This is the romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Do people seriously want to see this film? Chicks, maybe. Guys, definitely not. And I don’t know but is it me or is this the last film you’d expect to have a sneak preview engagement?

Anyway, here are our predictions:

My Predictions:

1. Up – $30 million
2. The Hangover – $29 million
3. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – $26 million
4. Imagine That – $15 million
5. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – $9 million

Chris’ Predictions:

1. Imagine That – $45 million
2. Up – $25 million
3. The Hangover – $20 million
4. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – $14 million
5. Land of the Lost – $10 million

Phil’s Predictions:

1. Up – $24 million
2. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – $20 million
3. The Hangover – $19 million
4. Land of the Lost – $8 million
5. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – $5 million

Sheehan’s Predictions:

1. The Hangover – $35 million
2. Up – $30 million
3. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – $20 million
4. Land of the Lost – $12 million
5. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – $11 million

—

The Predictions Panel are really split with guesses this weekend. Phil and I both believe that Up has what it takes to edge out the competition to top the box office, while Sheehan has The Hangover winning its second straight box office and Chris thinks Eddie Murphy’s Imagine That will topple over the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, it’s notable that none of us has The Taking of Pelham as the #1 movie for the weekend.